Should have gone after that callus a year ago! Amazing how such a tiny thing can aggravate.
But you're right about a knife alarming people. Years ago in another life I opened a similar knife to cut a cable and my boss literally jumped backward and exclaimed in fear. But he came from a place where, when someone pulls out a knife someone else usually gets stabbed.
They were probably just envious you were rocking a Kershaw Iridium Dessert Warrior. Which also comes in at under $100. And the Iridium family are pretty nice knives.
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Kershaw-Iridium-Dessert-Warrio...
I flipped the knife out and his eyes got huge, his arms went out sideways and he got in a football stance.
After he calmed down, he told me he was actually attacked with a knife when he was a kid.
Not long after, I finally wore out the fastener on that knife (a buck). Luckily I had already bought a twin for backup.